The statement registered in the Chamber of Accounts portal is dated August 2020; it is expected that after assuming the position of executive director of the Airport Department, he will present his current statement.
Santo Domingo.- Mérido de Jesús Torres Espinal was appointed last Sunday as executive director of the Airport Department, through decree 552-26, with which President Luis Abinader reorganized several State institutions.
After his time at the Technical Executing Unit for State Land Titling (Utect), which he left in 2023 due to a request for a leave of absence when his name was mentioned in the Operation Squid (Operación Calamar) case file, Torres is preparing to return to the government ranks with a sworn statement of assets that has not been updated since the year 2020.
According to the records of the Chamber of Accounts of the Dominican Republic, corresponding to his rectificative sworn statement (DJP-26376), Mérido declared a strictly individual net worth of around RD$ 88.5 million (specifically RD$ 88,535,368.91).
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This personal balance sheet results from subtracting your individual assets, valued at RD$ 88,720,513.87, from an outstanding debt with Banco Popular Dominicano of just RD$ 185,144.96. If the family net worth is consolidated, adding the assets registered in the name of your spouse, the asset figure rises to RD$ 89,739,863.87, consolidating a family net worth of RD$ 89,554,718.91.
Matrimonial Property Regime and Excluded Assets
The difference of exactly RD$ 1,019,350.00 between Torres Espinal’s individual assets and the consolidated family balance lies directly in his marital status and property regime. In the declaration, the official specified that he is married under the Separation of Property regime (in the form of a Free Union).
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Under this framework, the vehicle registered in the name of his wife, Nikaury Smerlynes Acosta del Villar, is excluded from his personal assets: a Jeep Toyota RAV4 (year 2015) valued at RD$ 1,019,350.00.
The motor vehicles declared under the exclusive ownership of Mérido Torres correspond to two units from the year 2020 with a combined value of RD$ 6,856,470.00:
- Toyota Hilux Pickup (2020): RD$ 2,355,235.00
- Toyota Land Cruiser Prado SUV (2020): RD$ 4,501,235.00
60.8% of Assets are in Real Estate
The main support for Mérido Torres‘s economic solvency lay in his real estate portfolio, which amounted to RD$ 53,996,604.00 distributed across eight properties declared in his name:
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- Tourist Destination Estate (Acquired in 2011): RD$ 25,307,712.00
- Residential Apartment (Acquired in 2016): RD$ 12,939,413.00
- Apartment for Rent (Acquired in 2019): RD$ 4,182,624.00
- Residence for Rent (Acquired in 2013): RD$ 3,420,973.00
- Commercial Space (Acquired in 2019): RD$ 3,060,383.00
- Residence for Rent (Acquired in 1994): RD$ 2,968,699.00
- Apartment for Rent (Acquired in 2008): RD$ 1,058,400.00
- Apartment for Rent (Acquired in 2008): RD$ 1,058,400.00
This diversified real estate portfolio not only represents capital accumulation, but also a recurring source of income through commercial and residential leases.
The second pillar of their assets is liquid financial investments and credit rights, which together total RD$ 23,093,898.80:
- Treasury Bonds (Inversiones y Reservas S.A.): Mérido Torres declared holding a financial certificate worth RD$ 15,077,400.80, consolidating it as his most significant liquid asset.
- State Debt in his favor: He reports an account receivable from the Dominican State – National Assets amounting to RD$ 8,016,498.00, originating from a transactional agreement for fair payment regarding land expropriation.
Corporate Assets, Banks, Movable Property and Firearm
The individual balance sheet of the lawyer and official is completed with the following declared items:
- Invested Capital: Shareholding / social quotas valued at RD$ 850,000.00 in the law firm Torres Espinal & Asocs.
- Bank Accounts: A total balance of RD$ 2,410,046.07 distributed across five accounts (two at Banco Popular Dominicano and three at Banco de Reservas). The most significant account records a balance of RD$ 2,277,523.71 at Banreservas.
- Furniture and Firearms: Totals RD$ 1,403,495.00 in movable property (RD$ 804,495.00 in household furniture and RD$ 599,000.00 in lodging furniture), along with a .38 caliber revolver valued at RD$ 110,000.00.
As Executive Director of the Permanent Commission for State Land Titling (a position to which he was appointed on August 20, 2020), he received a gross salary of RD$ 210,000.00 (net salary of RD$ 161,297.98).
Upon his arrival at the leadership of the Airport Department, Mérido Torres will manage the approved budget for 2026, which amounts to RD$2,309.8 million. According to the July 2026 payroll, the outgoing director, Víctor Pichardo Custodio, earned a salary corresponding to RD$224,664.72.
Throughout his career, Torres has held various positions related to law, public administration, and institutional management:
- He served as Deputy Prosecutor of the Court of Appeals of Santo Domingo.
- He was Legal Consultant for the National District City Hall.
- He has worked as an advisor to various municipal institutions.
- He held the position of Executive Director of UTEC, where he performed institutional management and leadership functions.
- He was President of the Dominican Association of Lawyers (ADOMA).
It is reminded that officials obligated by article 2 of Law 311-14 must file their sworn statement when the competent authority deems it necessary to update the declaration, within 30 days following their taking of office, each time they begin the exercise of a position or are re-elected for a new term, and within a maximum period of 30 days after having ceased in the position.
